


Good Evening, Sunshine

by Rubyleaf



Category: DAYS (Anime & Manga)
Genre: GOD they're so wholesome, Honestly KazaTsuku deserve so much more love than I've been giving them, KazaTsuku are relationship goals, Kazama feels blessed to have Tsukushi, M/M, SOOO I've wanted to write this for a literal year so here it finally is, Tsukushi totally returns the feeling, because THEY'RE SO CUTE OKAY, bless these boys, so here's me making up for that, this is just pure happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 16:56:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11695947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubyleaf/pseuds/Rubyleaf
Summary: Tsukushi visits Kazama to make sure he's okay and ends up staying over. Kazama just wants to hang out with his best friend and realizes he may or may not want to marry this boy.





	Good Evening, Sunshine

Life has been good lately.

Kazama opens his eyes, smiling at the ceiling and the rain falling against his windows. He has no clue what time it is, but just going by how well rested he is it has to be way past morning already. No wonder. He’s pretty sure it was close to dawn when he went to bed last night, but hey, he’s on break anyway so it’s not like it’s a problem, right?

Still smiling to himself, he yawns, stretches and gets off the bed, taking a peek at the clock. It’s way into the afternoon; he’s missed half the day. Oh well. Worth it. That game he was playing yesterday was way too good not to finish in one go, so he went ahead and did. It was every bit as great as he hoped; he can’t wait to tell Tsukushi about it.

_Tsukushi..._

Kazama smiles at the thought of his best friend. They’ve only known each other for a few months, and yet it feels like he has always had a spot reserved for him, like he belongs into Kazama’s life and was just waiting to step into it and turn his world upside down. Sometimes Kazama feels like he can divide his life up into  _before_  and  _after meeting Tsukushi_ , and ever since the start of that  _after_  part life has been getting better and better with every passing day.

Whistling to himself, Kazama makes his way over to the kitchen to make himself an improvised breakfast, not even bothering to sit down as he munches down four pieces of toast in record time, heads off to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth, and returns to his room to throw on some clothes. It’s close to evening when he finally feels ready for the day and remembers his phone still lying on the nightstand. Crap. Should probably text Tsukushi good morning, the poor guy must be getting worried.

“Worried” is an understatement, apparently. When Kazama opens his phone he is met with a plethora of worried texts and missed calls, one more nervous than the next. He mentally slaps himself for staying up so late and oversleeping and not checking his phone for so long after waking up. Tsukushi first texted him at nine in the morning and he still hasn’t responded once when he usually texts back in a matter of minutes. Kazama should better lose no time in explaining that he’s fine and not mad at Tsukushi for any reason and apologize for accidentally ignoring his best friend like that when he deserves so, so much better. Seriously, what was he thinking? If there’s one person on the planet who doesn’t deserve to worry over anything, it has to be Tsukushi!

Tapping the screen, he is just about to start composing a message when there’s a ring on the doorbell, and Kazama makes a dash for the door.

There aren’t many people who would ring his bell. And if his feeling is right...

He opens the door and catches his breath. His feeling was right. Propping himself up against the doorframe, gasping and panting, is Tsukushi, his hair and clothes soaked from the pouring rain, his cheeks flushed, his legs shaky.

He looks like he’s been sprinting the whole distance from his house to Kazama’s place.

“Kazama-kun!” he pants as soon as he regains his breath enough to speak. “I’m sorry for the sudden intrusion... you weren’t replying to my messages so I just wanted to know if you were okay... I thought, I thought...” Is it just the rain, or are there tears in his eyes? “I thought... something was wrong...”

If Tsukushi wasn’t standing in front of him, Kazama would punch himself square in the face.  _Look what you’ve done to him, you idiot._  He doesn’t deserve Tsukushi, and yet Tsukushi’s here, on his doorstep to check up on him, in this rain, just because he’s been too careless.

“Nah, I’m good,” he says, trying to grin. “I started a game last night and got kinda hooked and ended up playing till morning, so I just got up. Okay, an hour ago. Sorry, man... I probably should’ve said something earlier, huh?”

“No, no, it’s all right!” Why is Tsukushi the one looking embarrassed? “I’m sorry for overthinking, it’s just... um...”

“Dummy.” Kazama knocks a fist against his shoulder, and Tsukushi blinks up at him in surprise. “Don’t apologize when I screwed up! And did you seriously run here in this weather?” He motions outside. “You’re gonna catch a cold, are you crazy?”

Tsukushi shifts uncomfortably. “Sorry... um...”

He still looks embarrassed for what he did, and Kazama feels a pull at his heartstrings. Tsukushi really is too good for him. “Don’t be sorry, it’s my fault,” he says, pulling him into a hug and letting the water from Tsukushi’s clothes seep into his own shirt. “Just take better care of yourself, man. What am I gonna do if something happens to you?”

“K-Kazama-kun, um...” Tsukushi tries to pull away. “M-My clothes... I’m getting your shirt all wet...”

Kazama just hugs him tighter as his smile finds its way back onto his face. “No, I’m your towel,” he replies, grinning and rubbing Tsukushi’s back. “I’m drying you up, see?”

Tsukushi laughs, a blessed, pure sound too good for this world, and snuggles closer. Kazama holds him like this for a moment. Even soaked by the rain he feels nice and warm, fitting perfectly into his arms. Part of him wants to hold him like this for the next few days. No, weeks, months... actually, he wouldn’t mind staying like this for a couple years.

Finally Tsukushi loosens his hold and pulls away, taking a step backwards and leaving Kazama feeling cold and clammy where his warm form was just a second ago. “I’m glad you’re doing well, Kazama-kun!” he says with a bright smile. “If that’s all, I should probably head home–”

“Forget it.” Kazama isn’t sure if he’s actually concerned or if he just doesn’t want his best friend to leave yet, and he doesn’t care. “Walk home in this rain when you’re already wet? You’ll catch pneumonia! Dude, your mom’s gonna kill me.” He reaches for Tsukushi’s wrist. “At least dry up, okay?”

Tsukushi hesitates for a second, then his face lights up with a bright, happy smile, and butterflies stir in Kazama’s stomach as he wonders if his best friend is just as happy about being allowed to stay longer as he is about him being here. They step inside and close the door, and Kazama leads Tsukushi towards the bathroom, hurrying inside and throwing a towel at him.

“Here ya go,” he says, hurrying back out. “You can change out of your stuff and just put it on the heater or something, I’m gonna get you some of my old clothes till yours are dry again. Hair dryer’s over there, if you need that one too.” He grins. “Be right back!”

Tsukushi nods, still smiling. “Thanks, Kazama-kun!”

Kazama leaves him behind to disappear in his room, searching through the depths of his wardrobe and thanking himself for never bothering to sort out his old stuff. He needs something Tsukushi’s size... so maybe clothes from around seventh or eighth grade... okay, crap, this is harder than he thought. His younger self used to love oversized clothing; everything’s too big for Tsukushi–

His eyes come to rest on a glint of bright yellow, and suddenly he just knows what to pick.

Happy with his luck, he returns back to the bathroom, where Tsukushi is standing in only his underwear, toweling his hair dry. Kazama pokes his head inside and extends the clothes in his hands towards him. “Here goes,” he says. “Hope it fits!”

Tsukushi turns around and smiles, towel still over his head. “Thanks a lot, Kazama-kun! It’s really not necessary, but...”

“No, no, it’s necessary.” Kazama grins and backs out of the bathroom. “I mean, you can’t just walk around like this, right? Okay, you could, technically, but right now it’s a bit...  _chill_  to chill in.” He winks and points finger guns as Tsukushi laughs. “Right?”

“That’s true,” Tsukushi replies, and Kazama closes the door to give him his privacy while he gets changed. He has to admit, letting Tsukushi borrow some of his old underwear along with the shirt, pants and socks is probably a little embarrassing, but what choice did he have when Tsukushi came here soaked down to his skin?

He waits for a few minutes, and then the door opens and Tsukushi steps out, examining himself. Even Kazama’s smallest middle school clothes are still a bit loose on him. The pant legs are falling over his feet, and his sleeves are too long, making his hands look a little like paws. Combined with the yellow of the fabric, the pink blush on his cheeks and the twinkling blue of his eyes, it’s the brightest, most innocent sight Kazama has ever seen.

“It’s so comfortable,” Tsukushi says in awe, bringing up a hand to feel the fabric of the shirt against his cheek. “A little big though, isn’t it? Is it all right?”

All right? No, it’s not all right. It’s perfect, in every single conceivable way.

“You’re right, it’s all loose!” Kazama exclaims, tackling Tsukushi with a hug and pinching his cheek and ruffling through his still-damp hair. “Dude, you’re so skinny! You need to eat more!”

Tsukushi smiles awkwardly. “I’m trying...”

“Honestly though,” Kazama continues, looking straight into Tsukushi’s wide eyes and smiling gently, “you look perfect. Trust me.”

Tsukushi’s cheeks flush even pinker than usual, his eyes widening in surprise. “R-Really?”

“Yeah.” Kazama is blushing too, and he doesn’t even know why. “It suits you.”

Tsukushi flushes even redder, then a big, slightly nervous smile spreads all over his face, lighting up the entire room and filling it with the warmth that only he possesses. “Thanks!”

Kazama can’t help it. He has to hug him again, tackling him and almost making them both lose their balance and stumble and fall into the empty bathtub.

“Whoa!” he exclaims as he catches himself at the last second and Tsukushi instinctively clings to him in an attempt to regain his balance. “That was close...”

Their faces are close, too. Tsukushi’s face is mere inches away from his own, close enough to see the bright specks in his dark blue eyes and the way his dark lashes fade into a paler color at the tips, close enough to feel the gentle heat radiating from his skin. His cheeks look even softer up close. His lips, too. Kazama wants to squish his face again... no, not just that. He’s half tempted to kiss him.

Of course he doesn’t. He pushes off the urge and loosens his hold, still smiling as he meets Tsukushi’s gaze. “We should probably get outta here before we fall over for real, huh?”

And so they find themselves curled up on the couch a moment later, Kazama wrapping Tsukushi in a blanket despite the other’s protests that it’s not necessary, watching the rain fall outside and talking. Kazama finally tells Tsukushi about that game he played last night, and every time he starts wondering if he might start boring him with it he looks at Tsukushi’s face and happily chatters on. He knows Tsukushi isn’t too much into video games, and yet there’s a look of fascination and excitement on his face as he listens, hanging onto Kazama’s every word, happily taking in every single new detail he hears. Kazama feels warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe this is what real friendship is all about, he thinks. Listening to the other talk about something you don’t normally care about and getting invested in what they’re saying, just because they’re your friend and you care about everything that matters to them.

Finally he runs out of things to say about his game, but not out of things to talk about with Tsukushi. Their conversation moves on to more everyday things like school and soccer, and then it’s Kazama’s turn to listen as Tsukushi animatedly tells a story that happened at the daycare where his mom works. His shyness has disappeared without a trace, and when he cheerfully imitates the little kids’ voices and gestures Kazama can’t help but smile in adoration.

Crap, he’s so cute. But the cutest bit is the knowledge that he’s only like this with a very small handful of people, and Kazama feels honored and proud to be one of them.

“Dude, that’s amazing!” he bursts out when Tsukushi is finished, laughing and clutching his sides. “So she actually stayed on top of the closet all day? That’s wild, man!”

“Yes, she did!” Tsukushi replies, cheerfully imitating the little girl again. “‘Look, I can see my house from here!’ she said. But the worst part was that the others tried to go after her to see their houses too...” He looks torn between compassion and laughter. “Mom almost had a heart attack until they were all back down safely. Well, me too, but...”

Kazama wipes tears of laughter. “Do that again!” he shouts. “Show me what that little girl said again!”

“Um...” Tsukushi blinks, gets back into character and imitates the toddler again. “‘Look, I can see my house from here! And the ocean! There’s pirate ships on the ocean and they’re gonna come get me! Hellooo! Over here, pirate ships!’ ...Like this?”

Kazama almost falls off the couch.

“Dude,” he says as soon as he’s calmed down enough to speak. “You should’ve been an actor! That’s some awesome talent, man!”

Tsukushi goes pink. “Y-Y-You think so?” he stutters. “N-No way, um...” A sheepish smile spreads over his face. “I’ve only been in a play once... in elementary school, and I had to play a flower... I only had two lines, but when we performed I got so nervous that I forgot what I was supposed to say...” He shrinks down and lowers his head, blushing like mad.

Kazama imagines a tiny little Tsukushi in a flower costume and instantly regrets it because it’s more than his heart can take. “Don’t worry, that’s just normal stage fright. Happens to everyone,” he says warmly, wrapping an arm around Tsukushi’s shoulders and winking down at him. “And hey, who could’ve been mad at such a cute little flower anyway?”

Tsukushi giggles and shifts to sit closer to him, his face positively glowing with happiness. It’s sweet and radiant and contagious, and once more Kazama wants to grab him and kiss him on the spot, just because his chest is overflowing with so much affection and adoration that he doesn’t know where to keep it all anymore. Tsukushi is so soft, so bright and full of joy, and it makes him feel all soft and fuzzy inside himself.

Honestly, Tsukushi could have befriended anyone, anyone in the world and they would have loved him. But out of all the seven billion people available, he went and chose Kazama of all people, and Kazama doesn’t even have to ask if he’s the luckiest man in the world. He just knows.

He pulls him even closer, and Tsukushi unwraps himself from his blanket and drapes it over both of them, leaning against his side. They have just made themselves comfortable and started to relax when a noise interrupts them, a bright, cheery melody that starts out quiet and slowly gets louder.

And it’s coming out of Tsukushi’s pocket.

“My phone!” he exclaims, pulling it out. “My mother... Crap, I told her I’d be right back when I left! She has to be worried...” No wonder, Kazama thinks as Tsukushi picks up the call. It’s almost dark outside now, and they barely noticed. “H-Hello, Mom? U-Um, I’m very sorry, um–”

Kazama moves in closer to hear the reply.

“Tsukushi, there you are!” his mom replies, giving a sigh of relief. “You were taking so long I got worried... Is something wrong with Kazama-kun after all? Do you need anything? Should I–”

“N-No!” Tsukushi shouts into the speaker, just as Kazama laughs. “Kazama-kun’s all right, he just overslept... Don’t worry, Mom! We just started talking and lost track of time, I’m so sorry...”

His mother still sounds concerned. “Are you sure? If you need anything at all then I can–”

“I’m fine, Mom,” Kazama says into the phone, grinning. He doesn’t know where he got the idea to call her that. Maybe he’s been over to Tsukushi’s place so many times that she’s started to feel like a mother to him.

She doesn’t seem to mind, because when she speaks again there is nothing but relief in her voice. “Kazama-kun! Oh, thank goodness. I get worried you know, with you being at home alone so often... But if you’re all right then it’s all fine!” He can hear the smile in her tone. “And if you ever do need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask, will you?”

She really does feel like the mom he never had. Kazama makes a mental note to give her something nice the next time he visits over at Tsukushi’s place; she deserves it.

“Okay,” he says, half amused, half touched. “Thanks.”

“Anyway, Tsukushi,” she continues, “what do we do? It’s so late already, you can’t go back home by yourself... That’s dangerous!”

“M-Mom, it’s not that far...”

“No, no, no. I’m not letting you go back alone. I’ll come pick you up–”

“I’ll do it,” Kazama interrupts her. “I can walk Tsukushi home, don’t worry. He’s safe with me.” Even if he doesn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

Her voice is warm as she replies, “I know that, Kazama-kun. Thank you very much for looking after him!”

“No big deal, no big deal.” Kazama throws a glance at Tsukushi’s soft round face and smiles. “With a sweet guy like him, it’s not like I got a choice.”

She laughs gently. Tsukushi turns red and smiles too, muttering something about him being too kind. Kazama’s heart gives a leap. Dammit, he really, really doesn’t want to say goodbye yet...

“Or,” he says, throwing another nervous glance at Tsukushi, “he could just stay over, since it’s so late and stuff. If you don’t mind.”

Tsukushi straightens where he sits. “Huh? Uh...” He’s flailing his hands around, not sure what to do with them. “I-I-Is it okay? I m-mean, may I...?”

Kazama grins. “Sure! If your mom doesn’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t,” comes the reply from the speaker. “That’s a very good idea! And it’s so much better than you being all alone again, right, Kazama-kun?”

Kazama grins awkwardly and twirls a strand of hair around his finger. She’s seen right through him. Of course she’s been worried about him ever since she found out he basically lives by himself since his guardians are away working more often than they’re home these days so it shouldn’t be surprising, but it’s still a tiny bit embarrassing to get figured out by so easily.

“Very well, then,” she says cheerfully. “Have fun, you two! Don’t stay up too late. Good night, boys!”

“Good night!” Tsukushi and Kazama shout back, and then they end the call.

Kazama can’t believe his own luck. He doesn’t have to part with Tsukushi yet. He’s getting to keep him for the whole rest of the evening and the entire night, right until morning, without anybody or anything to get between them. Just him and his best friend and the apartment all to themselves.

“So,” he says, smiling at Tsukushi, “what do we do now?”

Tsukushi smiles back. “I don’t know...”

At that moment his stomach gives a very loud growl.

Tsukushi blinks up at Kazama, embarrassed. Kazama blinks back at Tsukushi. Then they both start laughing.

“Okay,” Kazama remarks, grinning and shrugging, “time to get some food, I guess.”

\---

A few minutes later they’re both curled up on the couch once more, side by side, the blanket draped loosely over both of them, each holding a steaming cup of instant ramen in his hands and happily slurping away. It’s the closest thing to real food Kazama found, and Tsukushi doesn’t seem to mind the cheap stuff; if anything he’s enjoying it as much as Kazama is, and Kazama wonders if some things just taste better if you eat them with someone you love. Yeah, maybe that’s it. He’s warm and cozy and comfortable and he’s with Tsukushi, and that alone seems enough to make anything taste delicious.

They finish their noodles and place the empty cups and chopsticks down on the coffee table, unwilling to get up and leave the comforting warmth of the blanket and each other. Kazama reaches for the remote and turns on the TV to idly zap through the programs, searching through news, commercials, game shows and documentaries until finally settling on a cheesy old action movie. “Wanna watch this? It’s the only thing that’s not boring.”

Tsukushi almost looks more enthusiastic about the movie than Kazama feels as he smiles excitedly. “Sure!”

They adjust themselves and focus on the screen. Sure enough, the movie’s pretty bad. At least it’s bad in the fun way, completely over-the-top and ridiculous, bad enough to keep watching it just for the laughs. It’s the kind of thing Kazama always ends up watching when he’s bored or needs cheering up.

Tsukushi, however, doesn’t seem to think the movie sucks. On the contrary, he gets completely into it, sitting on the edge of his seat and taking in every new development with wide eyes, flinching at the critical hits, laughing at the bad jokes, smiling and tearing up at the romance and making frustrated noises when the ad break comes on after a cliffhanger.

Kazama smiles at him. “You’re enjoying this movie, huh?”

“Yes!” Tsukushi replies energetically and without hesitation. “I think it’s a very good movie! It’s so exciting, and the action shots are cool, and the romance is so touching... I wonder what they’ll do next? I hope they’ll all make it out alive!”

Kazama doesn’t have the heart to tell him that he thinks the movie is pretty nonsensical and predictable.

The ad break ends, and Kazama stops watching the movie and starts watching Tsukushi instead. This boy really reacts to every little development. Every single one of his emotions is written all over his face, and each time something new happens they change, from excitement to hope to terror to compassion to sadness to fear to frustration to happiness, with bright laughs thrown in between. He almost falls off the couch in shock when the obviously evil teammate is revealed to have been a mole, he’s sitting and trembling when the heroes have to escape in a pseudo-dramatic chase scene, and when the hero’s best friend who was never more than a one-joke character dies he bursts into tears and doesn’t calm down until Kazama wraps his arms around him and lets him bury his face in his chest. When the movie ends he looks like a happy emotional mess, and Kazama feels like he just watched the thrill-ride of his life.

“That was a good movie,” Tsukushi says as he wipes away the last tears in his eyes. “I liked it a lot! Thank you for choosing it, Kazama-kun!”

Kazama laughs and ruffles his hair. “You can love every movie, can ya? Just like you love everyone.” He snuggles up to him. “Dude, you’re so nice!”

“Not as nice as you are, Kazama-kun.”

“Hey, hey, don’t exaggerate.” Kazama loops his arm around Tsukushi’s shoulders again, pulling him closer. “I’m nice too. But not as nice as you.”

They get stuck on a soap opera next, and then a goofy comedy anime. Tsukushi still reacts to everything that happens on the screen, his face describing every single development better than any movie could. He really gets invested in everything. Even the most minor characters have a place in his heart, and when they reappear after their one cameo half an hour later he still remembers them and is happy to see them again. He has so much love and compassion for all of these fictional people that Kazama wonders how it can all fit into such a small, fragile-looking body, and it makes him even more amazed that this boy, this kind, gentle, all-loving boy chose him of all people to be his best friend.

Sometime halfway through the anime episode Tsukushi starts getting sleepy, his reactions getting slower and less intense, his eyelids starting to fall shut. He yawns more and more often, his head falls to the side, and a few minutes later he slumps against Kazama’s side, muttering something and dozing off with a smile on his face.

Kazama smiles back, gently running a hand through his hair and across his forehead and cheeks as he finishes watching the episode, a warm feeling settling in his gut. This feels so nice. It’s so nice, sitting here and cuddling on the couch and watching stupid movies and series until Tsukushi falls asleep on him, snuggled up and mumbling something in his sleep, a warm, gentle reminder that he’s loved and not alone. Part of him wishes they could end every day this way. If this isn’t what paradise feels like, he doesn’t want to know the real thing.

The episode ends, and Kazama reaches for the remote and turns off the TV, careful not to wake Tsukushi up. He kind of wants to stay on the couch and sleep here next to him, even if it’ll probably end up cramped and one of them might end up falling off the couch. Cuddling like this sounds nice... but no, the couch is still too small for them both, and it’ll definitely get awkward for at least one of them, most likely Tsukushi. He can’t do that to him. Maybe he should just let him sleep here and go back to bed himself...

But damn, he doesn’t want to separate.

That only leaves one option. It’ll still be cramped and awkward, but at least it’s better than the couch.

Careful not to stir him or make a noise, Kazama picks Tsukushi up and slowly carries him to his room, placing him down on the bed and tucking him under the covers. He sighs in his sleep but doesn’t stir. His face is as happy and peaceful as ever.

For a moment Kazama wonders if he shouldn’t just get the futon and lie down next to the bed, like normal people should probably do. Then Tsukushi shifts and mumbles his name and giggles in his sleep, and it’s decided. Gently patting his head, Kazama walks across the room to get his PJs, changes into them, and crawls under the blanket to lie next to his best friend.

Man, it really is cramped in here. And warm. And very, very cozy.

Wrapping an arm around Tsukushi’s side, Kazama closes his eyes and falls into a peaceful sleep.

\---

He wakes up in the morning feeling more rested than he has in a long time.

Yawning, he shifts under the covers to look at the window. It has stopped raining, but the sky is still gray and cloudy and anything but promising.

Well, he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care if the sun isn’t shining, because he’s got a tiny sun sleeping next to him on the mattress, and for now that’s all he needs.

Tsukushi is still fast asleep. He looks completely relaxed, one of his chubby cheeks squished against the pillow, drooling slightly on the covers, his hair all messed up and poking in every direction and a smile on his face, and Kazama can’t help thinking he never wants to wake up to a different sight ever again.

Tsukushi groans quietly and stirs, his eyelids fluttering as a glint of blue appears behind dark lashes and he opens his mouth in a big, sleepy yawn. Blinking, he slightly lifts his head and squints around, clearly trying to remember where he is.

Kazama smiles and strokes strands of hair from his forehead. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Kazama-kun?” Tsukushi says around another big yawn, rubbing his eyes. “Good morning... Wait, who’s beautiful?”

“You’re beautiful.” Crap, Kazama wants to kiss him so bad it hurts. “Good morning, Tsukushi.”

Tsukushi blushes and says nothing, simply pinching himself to make sure he’s not dreaming.

Kazama laughs. “You’re awake,” he says, sitting up and grinning down at him. “Don’t worry man, you’re not dreaming!”  _If anything I’m the one who should be dreaming. This is all too good to be true._

Tsukushi laughs nervously and sits up next to him, losing balance and nearly falling back down on the pillow. They exchange a glance and burst out laughing. Kazama gets up and offers a hand to Tsukushi, not-so-gracefully pulling him to his feet.

He wishes every morning could be like this. Waking up next to Tsukushi after cuddling under the blanket and watching each other clumsily struggle to wake up and laugh at the stupidest things, just because it’s the two of them. If he could have his way with the world, they’d just move in together for the rest of their lives.

This probably isn’t friendship, he knows. He knows and doesn’t care. Because whatever this feeling is, all he knows it’s that it’s pure, undimmed happiness.

\---

They make breakfast together, and of course Tsukushi offers to help. Still wearing Kazama’s old clothes, his eyes all sleepy and puffy and his hair a fluffy bedhead, he bustles around the kitchen, helping him set the table and nearly dropping a plate and spilling milk all over his sleeve. Kazama turns on the radio and a catchy song comes on, one that makes them both hum and sing along as they go, and before they know it they’ve started dancing around the kitchen and forgotten all about breakfast because they’re having so much  _fun_.

Kazama’s heart swells. He loves this boy. He loves him so much. And it hurts him that they can’t have this all the time, these shared mornings and goofy laughs as they both start the day, cheerfully taking things at their own pace. Maybe they’ll be able to move in together someday. That’d be a dream... but it’s so, so far away.

Oh, great. This is beyond being in love with Tsukushi. He wants to marry him, and they’re not even dating.

But the weirdest thing is that he doesn’t even feel bad about this feeling.

They finish breakfast and get ready for the day. Tsukushi changes back into his own clothes and insists on taking Kazama’s home and washing them, no matter how much Kazama tells him it’s fine. And at long last it’s time to walk Tsukushi home, and Kazama misses him before they’ve even said goodbye.

Their walk is cheerful as ever. It’s started raining again and they’re sharing an umbrella and splashing through puddle after puddle and getting themselves all wet and laughing about silly things, and yet the feeling from earlier is still nagging at Kazama’s soul. He wants to tell him... no, he needs to tell him. Somehow. Even if he’s not sure how.

And then they’ve arrived at Tsukushi’s doorstep, and still he hasn’t said a word.

Tsukushi stops walking beside him, fidgeting and blushing as he turns around to fully face Kazama. “Kazama-kun, um...”

His throat feels tight. “Tsukushi...”

What should he say next? Think, think, think...

“Thank you very much for, um... for everything! The clothes, and letting me stay over...” Tsukushi smiles brightly. “I had a lot of fun!”

He looks just as happy as Kazama feels, and suddenly his words all come back. He finally knows what to say.

“I had fun too,” he replies, grinning and hoping he doesn’t blush too hard. “If we could, I wouldn’t mind repeating this every day!”

Tsukushi blinks. His face goes two shades pinker.

“I, um...” Did he realize...? “I w-wouldn’t mind repeating this every day too! Not that it’s possible, but...” He laughs nervously.

“Wanna make it happen?”

Tsukushi looks up. “Huh?”

“I mean, uh...” Kazama rakes a hand through his hair. “Someday, like after graduation or something... wanna move in together? No, wait. I got it the wrong way round...” Crap, his thoughts don’t make sense again. His heart’s beating way too fast. The butterflies in his stomach are going wild.

“I mean,” he continues, his face feeling hotter and hotter, “you usually ask that stuff  _after_  becoming a couple, right? No, wait...”

_I love you._  Three simple words.

“K-Kazama-kun!”

Tsukushi’s eyes are squeezed shut, his face tight with nervousness and glowing red. His hands are balled into fists. “I-I would love to live together someday! I’m very honored that you asked! And, um... w-what you said... about couples... um...”

They both take a deep breath.

“I love you!”

“I-I’m in love with you!”

They blink. Then they stare at each other, wide-eyed.

Of course they had to confess at the same time. They’re so in sync.

Kazama feels happy, relieved, grateful and overjoyed at the same time. But mostly his heart feels really light. So light that he starts laughing.

Tsukushi looks up at him and then he’s laughing too, and the next thing they know they’re resting their foreheads together, happily slinging their arms around each other. And Kazama finally does what he wanted to do all day since yesterday.

He leans down and presses a kiss against Tsukushi’s forehead.

Tsukushi does a double-take and turns redder than a turnip. “Wh-Wh-What was that?”

Kazama winks. “A promise. Return it when you feel ready, okay?”

Tsukushi’s whole face lights up as he smiles. “Okay!”

Still smiling brightly, he waves at Kazama and skips up to the door, and Kazama smiles and waves after him until he’s out of sight.

Life has been good lately.

And thanks to Tsukamoto Tsukushi, it’s only going to get better from here.


End file.
